Hemingway and the Life of a Post War Solider
Most of the time when a soldier returns home after war, they find that it’s very difficult to go back to their normal everyday life. In the short story, “Soldier’s Home” by realist Ernest Hemingway, Harold, also known as Krebs, is figuring out his life after returning home from war. When Krebs returned home nobody cared to hear what he had to say about the war, unless he lied about it and made it sound better than it actually was. He feels like he doesn’t belong in his hometown, Oklahoma, anymore because he doesn’t feel wanted. Everyone wants him to go back to his normal life, but physically he can’t. He feels empty and lost knowing that in order to move on, he needs to leave Oklahoma. An important
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theme that Hemingway develops throughout the story is the idea of alienation.
Alienation is the idea of feeling isolated from a group of people to which you should belong to. Krebs feels like he can't love anything or anybody in Oklahoma because he feels nothing. Nobody made a big deal about him returning home, so now he's left feeling empty. Throughout the short story, “Soldier’s Home,” Hemingway uses literary elements of symbolism and conflict to establish his theme of alienation.
Symbolism is an element that’s usually found in any type of story. Hemingway establishes symbolism throughout the story to help further explain the theme. Sometimes in stories the title can be used as a sign of symbolism, which happens to be the case in this short story. The author decided that the title of the book would be, “Soldier’s Home” (Hemingway 653). A soldier’s home used to be known as a retirement home for old, worn-out soldiers. Now it’s a veteran’s home for all the soldiers that return from war. The title is a symbol of alienation because Krebs is acting as though he’s living in the old soldier’s home rather than the new one. He’s
almost acting as though he’s a stranger to the town and that he doesn’t know what to do with himself. The author also uses Krebs breakfast as a sign of symbolism. The narrator states, “Krebs looked at the bacon fat hardening on his plate (Hemingway 657). Krebs and his mother are having a discussion about how Krebs needs to get his life together. When his mom puts his breakfast down in front of him, he stops listening to her and stares at his plate watching the bacon harden. When Krebs watches the bacon harden it symbolizes the hardening of his heart, which leads to the idea of alienation. The fact that he’s not paying attention to his mom anymore shows the readers that he doesn’t care about anyone. He would rather isolate himself than rather listen to his mom. Similarly, when talking about symbolism, critic Matthew C. Stewart claims, “Clearly mother-son dynamics are of great importance in ‘Soldier's Home,’ but the story's sine qua non is the depiction of a war veteran struggling to readjust to post-war civilian life. The family tensions cannot be seen as an issue somehow distinct from Krebs's status as a returned soldier” (Stewart 268). Many things happening in Krebs life symbolizes the fact that he’s dealing with post war life. Conflict is another literary element that is commonly found in short stories. Hemingway uses man versus man, and man versus self to establish the theme for the short story. Towards the end of the story, we learn that Krebs and his mom have conflict with each other. Krebs mom says, “Don’t you think it’s about time?” The narrator states, “His mom did not say this in a mean way. She seemed worried” (Hemingway 657). Krebs’s mom wants him to get his life back together and go out to do something because she’s worried about him. Krebs doesn’t react because he doesn’t feel like he belongs there anymore. This relates to the theme of alienation because by not responding, Krebs is starting to isolate himself from affiliating with his family. No one understands him and just expects him to go back to his normal life. Agreeing with the idea of conflict, critic Joseph DeFalco asserts that, “the root of Krebs’s conflict is grounded in the home environment” (DeFalco 268). Krebs also has conflict with himself throughout the whole story. The narrator states, “All of the times that had been able to make him feel cool and clear inside himself when he thought of them; the times so long back when he had done the one thing, the only thing for a man to do, easily and naturally, when he might have done something else, now lost their cool, valuable quality and then were lost themselves” (Hemingway 654). Krebs is dealing with the fact that home is different and he doesn’t get the same feelings as he got at the war. Nobody cares about what he has to say, so he just feels dead inside. This relates to alienation because since people don’t care to listen to him and what he’s gone through, then why bother trying to recuperate from the war. There’s no point in trying to stay where you’re not wanted. In the short story, “Soldier’s Home,” Ernest Hemingway uses literary elements of symbolism and conflict to develop the theme throughout the story. Alienation is the idea of feeling isolated from a group of people to which you should belong to. Krebs feels nothing in Oklahoma anymore and he can't love anything or anybody there. Nobody made a big deal about him returning home, so now he's left feeling empty. Symbolism works well to develop the theme of this story because it symbolizes Krebs life and what he is going through. Conflict also works well to develop the theme because it explains how Krebs and his mom have different point of views. The conflict between them explains why he’s making certain decisions. The short story, “Soldier’s Home,” overall was very well put together, and really interesting. Ernest Hemingway developed the theme very well throughout the whole story. Being a soldier is a very hard job and people don’t always understand that the war can change you. Krebs experienced something that will always be a part of his life. It’s not fair to soldiers like Krebs to be treated as though they’re unimportant for having feelings they can’t control.
Tina Chen’s critical essay provides information on how returning soldiers aren’t able to connect to society and the theme of alienation and displacement that O’Brien discussed in his stories. To explain, soldiers returning from war feel alienated because they cannot come to terms with what they saw and what they did in battle. Next, Chen discusses how O’Brien talks about soldiers reminiscing about home instead of focusing in the field and how, when something bad happens, it is because they weren’t focused on the field. Finally, when soldiers returned home they felt alienated from the country and
In this story, O’Brien uses motif by describing the items the soldiers physically carry while at war which embody the soldier’s state of mind. One example of a motif is at the beginning of the story when First Lieutenant Jimmy Cross is introduced. The author describes the letters Jimmy carries around with him from a girl named Martha “They were not love letters, but Lieutenant Cross was hoping, so he kept them folded in plastic, at the bottom of his rucksack”(O’Brien 114). These letters are indicative that Cross does not feel the kind of love from Martha that he feels for her.
The first area of symbolism in “Soldier’s Home” is Krebs false war stories. Krebs false war stories represents his need to cope with the realities of war. Krebs
In “Soldier’s home” Krebs is completely different from when he left for the marines. He no longer sees the world the same. Instead he sees it as a place stuck in time with very little changes. He has to lie about things that happen in war to be able to stomach what truly happen. “His town had heard too many atrocity stories to be thrilled by actualities. Krebs found that to be listened to at all he had to lie, and after he had done this twice he, too, had a reaction against the war and against talking about it”(1).
The theme of alienation has been depicted by two different characters in a resembling series of events. The two protagonists were alienated by their peers, inflicting negative consequences they must undergo. Both characters are finally pushed to alienating themselves rather than being alienated. In conclusion, the struggles both characters undergo are practically identical to one another. They have experienced alienation in such similar ways that you must ask yourself: are all those who suffer from alienation alike in more ways than one?
Feeling alone or isolated is not only a common theme is all kinds of literature, but something that many people face in life. Alienation is the perception of estrangement or dissatisfaction with one’s life. This means you feel like you don’t fit or connect, whether it’s from society, family, or a physical object. These feelings can be due to a lack of deep connections, not believing the same ideals as your society, and many other things. In Ray Bradbury’s novel, Fahrenheit 451, he discusses a man who goes against governmental rule and reads. EA Robinson portrays a man everyone inspires to be, but in the end he isn’t happy and kills himself. Lastly, WH Auden accounts of an “unknown citizen” who also has a picture perfect life, but in the end
Hemingway, Ernest. "Soldier's Home." The Bedford Introduction to Literature, 6th Edition. Ed. Michael Meyer. New York: Bedford/St. Martin's. 2002. 152-57.
...ust deal with similar pains. Through the authors of these stories, we gain a better sense of what soldiers go through and the connection war has on the psyche of these men. While it is true, and known, that the Vietnam War was bloody and many soldiers died in vain, it is often forgotten what occurred to those who returned home. We overlook what became of those men and of the pain they, and their families, were left coping with. Some were left with physical scars, a constant reminder of a horrible time in their lives, while some were left with emotional, and mental, scarring. The universal fact found in all soldiers is the dramatic transformation they all undergo. No longer do any of these men have a chance to create their own identity, or continue with the aspirations they once held as young men. They become, and will forever be, soldiers of the Vietnam War.
Alienation in All Quiet on the Western Front According to the Webster's New World College Dictionary, alienation is 1. Separation, aversion, aberration. 2. Estrangement or detachment. 3.
Alienation is feelings of powerlessness, meaninglessness, and social isolation associated with certain social relationships. For example, in the grocery store, which were owned by white people. The white cashier refused to touch the black peoples’ hands. When handing them their brought items, he would let it hit the counter instead of handing it to them. The same thing occurred when the cashier went to hand them their change. The white cashier treated the black customers as meaningless and powerless. But, Dr. Vernon Johns said that the black people in their community are not business oriented therefore, they have no choice but to shop at the white businesses. Black people need to own more business which would lead to power and meaning for black
As a first hand observer of the Civil War, the great American Poet, Walt Whitman once said,"The real war [of the mind] will never get in the books."Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) is a horrible mental ailment that afflicts thousands of soldiers every year. Besides the fact that it is emotionally draining for the soldier, it also deeply alters their family and their family dynamics. Ernest Hemingway’s “Soldier's Home” illustrates how this happens. Harold Krebs returns home from World War I. He has to deal with becoming reaccustomed to civilian life along with relearning social norms. He must also learn about his family and their habits. The ramifications of Post Traumatic Stress Disorder have a ripple effect on the lives of not only the victim, but also the friends and family they relate to.
Alienation, the state of being isolated from a group or category that one should be apart of, exists in three forms; man’s alienation from man, man’s alienation from fellow men, and man’s alienation from the world itself. These three classes of alienation are fluid phases of the same process that exists to some extent within every member of society. The intriguing and complex nature of alienation has sparked the interest of many philosophers, artists, and authors around the world, resulting in works of art and literature that attempt to give insight into living life alone. Authors Herman Melville and Frank Kafka both reveal the struggles of functioning set apart from society through the protagonists in their respective short stories; Bartleby the Scrivener, and The Hunger Artist. The overall theme of marginalization in society in both Bartleby the Scrivener and The Hunger
individuals, society, or work. Some sociologists believe that alienation is inevitably produced not by the individual but by the shallowness and the lack of individuality in modern society. The concept of alienation has been held to account for behaviour patterns. as diverse as motiveless violence and total immobility. Alienation is a state in which the creations of humanity appear to humans as alien objects.
THE TERM "alienation" in normal usage refers to a feeling of separateness, of being alone and apart from others. For Marx, alienation was not a feeling or a mental condition, but an economic and social condition of class society--in particular, capitalist society.
Theme of Alienation in Literature A common theme among the works of Nathaniel Hawthorne is alienation. Alienation is defined as emotional isolation or dissociation from others. In Hawthorne's novels and short stories, characters are consistently alienated and experience isolation from society. These characters are separated from their loved ones both physically and psychologically. The harsh judgmental conditions of Puritan society are the cause of isolation for these characters and eventually lead to their damnation.